India Guide
Delhi
Arrival
Delhi is India's main point of arrival for overseas visitors, and the major transport hub for Rajasthan, the Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh as well as central north India.
Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport is 15km southwest of the centre. International flights land at Terminal 2, domestic services at Terminal 1; although adjacent, they're 6km apart by road, but are connected by half-hourly free AAI shuttle buses or pre-paid taxis. For those seeking accommodation, 24hr desks here, including Indian Tourism (ITDC) and Delhi Tourism (DTTDC), have a list of approved hotels and will secure reservations by phone.
The easiest way to get into Delhi from the airport is by taxi. There are several official pre-paid taxi kiosks in the restricted area outside the arrival hall; the fare will be around Rs250 to the city centre, with a 25 percent surcharge between 11pm and 5am; prices vary, so check a few kiosks before you choose. Be warned that even these pre-paid taxi drivers may try to take you to hotels not of your choice.
The auto-rickshaws that wait in line at the departure gate, while cheaper than taxis at around Rs100–150, are the most precarious and least reliable form of transport from the airport, especially at night. Many hotels, including some of Paharganj budget options, offer pick-up services from the airport, where you will be met with a driver bearing your name on a placard. Prices vary considerably, from around Rs250 to double that or more.
An Airport Express Link metro line is under construction, scheduled for completion in 2010. When finished, it should speed travellers into central New Delhi in as little as sixteen minutes.
The vast majority of trains used by tourists arrive and depart from Delhi's two major railway stations. New Delhi Station, at the eastern end of Paharganj Main Bazaar, within easy walking distance of many budget hotels, has two exits: take the Paharganj exit for Connaught Place and most points south, and the Ajmeri Gate exit for Old Delhi. Cycle rickshaws ply the congested main bazaar toward Connaught Place – which is just 800m down the road – but cannot enter Connaught Place itself. Auto-rickshaws start at Rs20 for Connaught Place, or Rs35 to Old Delhi – agree a price before getting in.
Old Delhi Station (officially Delhi Junction), west of the Red Fort, is also well connected to the city by taxis, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws; for autos there's a booth selling fixed-price pre-paid tickets – Connaught Place is Rs45, plus Rs5 per piece of baggage. Both rail stations are notorious for theft: don't take your eyes off your luggage for a moment. They are also on the metro, but travelling on it with heavy baggage is prohibited.
Delhi has two other, less useful, long-distance stations: Hazrat Nizamuddin, southeast of the centre, for trains from Agra (except the Shatabdi Express); and Sarai Rohilla, west of Old Delhi station, for some services from Rajasthan. Hazrat Nizamuddin has a pre-paid auto booth; Connaught Place is Rs50, and around the same from Sarai Rohilla. If you're lucky you may connect with a local train into New Delhi, but these tend to be sardine-can packed, and buying a ticket can be a real scrum.
State buses from all over the country pull in at the Maharana Pratap Inter-state Bus Terminal (ISBT), north of Old Delhi railway station. Auto-rickshaws to New Delhi or Paharganj take about fifteen minutes (Rs50, plus Rs5 per piece of baggage), cycle rickshaws take twice that (and cost around Rs30). There's a pre-paid auto-rickshaw booth at the terminal, and also a metro station (Kashmiri Gate).
Private buses from the rest of the country pull up in the street outside New Delhi railway station; some also drop passengers in Connaught Place.
Some services from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand leave you at Anand Vihar ISBT, across the Yamuna towards Ghaziabad in east Delhi, which also has a pre-paid auto-rickshaw booth (Rs75 to Connaught Place, plus Rs5 per piece of baggage), and is served by bus #70 or #85 to Connaught Place.
Buses from Agra and some from Rajasthan may leave you at Sarai Kale Khan ISBT by Hazrat Nizamuddin train station (cross over by the footbridge for pre-paid autos). Buses from Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur may drop you at Bikaner House near India Gate, Rs30 from Connaught Place by auto.